Psychosocial Workload, Conflicts, and Sustainable Employability

Summary

Based on survey data from approximately 60,000 employees, the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NEA) provides a comprehensive picture of workload, autonomy, social support, conflicts, and health outcomes in the Netherlands. The results show that a substantial proportion of employees are structurally exposed to high job demands and that workplace conflicts cannot be understood as isolated incidents, but rather as part of broader psychosocial patterns.

• 60,000 respondents per year in the NEA survey

• 35–40% of employees experience structurally high workload

• 16% report an annual workplace conflict

Background

The NEA as an empirical foundation

The quality of work and the conditions under which it is performed are central themes in both occupational psychology research and HR policy. In the Netherlands, these are systematically monitored through the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NEA), a large-scale annual study conducted by TNO and Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

This article provides an integrated analysis of the most recent NEA results, with specific attention to the relationship between psychosocial workload, conflicts, and sustainable employability. The focus is not on individual variables, but on the systemic interaction between working conditions and outcomes.

Theoretical framework

The Job Demand-Control-Support model

The NEA analysis aligns with the established Job Demand-Control-Support model. This model suggests that work-related stress and related outcomes result from the interaction between three factors. High job demands combined with limited autonomy and insufficient social support increase the risk of stress, health problems, and dysfunctional interaction patterns.

High job demands + low autonomy + limited social support = increased risk of stress and dysfunctional interaction patterns

Job demands
High workload, time pressure, emotional demands

Job control
Autonomy and ability to influence one’s work

Social support
Support from colleagues and supervisors

Results

Workload: a structural reality

The data show that workload is not an exceptional situation, but a structural feature of the Dutch labor market. Approximately 35–40% of employees report high workload, characterized by time pressure, high work intensity, and emotional demands. This burden is particularly prominent in healthcare, education, and service sectors.

“Workload is not an exceptional situation. It is a structural feature of the Dutch labor market.”

Autonomy and social support

Most employees experience some degree of autonomy, but its distribution is unequal. Lower autonomy is more common in operational and routine-based roles. Autonomy is strongly associated with job satisfaction, motivation, and health, and its absence intensifies the negative effects of high workload.

Although support from colleagues is generally rated positively, perceived support from supervisors varies more widely. A lack of leadership support is associated with higher stress levels, lower engagement, and poorer health outcomes.

Conflicts and undesirable behavior

Conflict as part of working life

The NEA shows that conflicts are not a marginal phenomenon. Approximately 16% of employees report having experienced a conflict with a colleague or supervisor in the past twelve months — one in six employees.

Conflicts should not be understood as isolated incidents, but as part of broader interaction patterns. The relationship between workload, social relationships, and conflict suggests that conflicts are partly rooted in structural characteristics of the work environment.

Health and employability

Burnout, absence, and sustainable participation

Approximately 20% of employees report burnout-related complaints, characterized by emotional exhaustion and mental fatigue. Prevalence has increased in recent years and is strongly associated with workload, autonomy, and social support.

Sickness absence, particularly long-term absence, is significantly influenced by psychosocial factors. Employees working under unfavorable conditions face a higher risk of dropping out. Sustainable employability is shaped by the balance between workload and capacity, the quality of the working environment, and opportunities for development.

Conclusions

What the findings mean for organizations

The NEA results show a consistent pattern: psychosocial workload, workplace relationships, and health outcomes are closely interconnected. The findings highlight the importance of a balanced design of work.

• Workload is structurally high — particularly in healthcare, education, and service sectors

• Autonomy and social support are unevenly distributed and strongly influence health

• Conflicts and undesirable behavior occur frequently and are symptoms of broader patterns

• Burnout complaints are increasing and directly related to psychosocial workload

• Sustainable employability requires an integrated approach to working conditions

“High workload combined with limited autonomy and insufficient social support creates a structural risk factor — not only for employee health, but also for the quality of workplace relationships and the emergence of conflict.”

Source: TNO & CBS (2023). Netherlands Working Conditions Survey 2023: Results. Leiden/The Hague: TNO/CBS.

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